Rail and wheel flange lubricator



Feb. 11', 1941.

O. REECE RAIL AND WHEEL FLANGE LUBRICATOR Filed Aug. 29, 1939 2 SheetS-Shee't 1 INVENTOR r Oliver-Reece BY z a w ATTORNEYS Feb. 11, 1941. E E 2,231,394

RAIL AND WHEEL FLANGE LUBRICATOR Filed Aug. 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Oliver Reece ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT err! RAIL AND' WHEEL FLANGE LUBRICATOR Oliver Reece, Berkeley, Calif.

Application August 29, 1939, Serial No. 292,423

8 Claims.

This invention relates to means for intermittently supplying small quantities of lubricant to the wheel flange side of the head of a. rail and indirectly to the inner and upper portion of the flanges of railway wheels at or near curves on the track, formed by such rails, without altering the rail or wheels, and has for one of its objects an improvement in a device generally of the character disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,003,242, dated May 28, 1935, issued to E. G.

Butcher and W. E. Jupe, whereby the said device will function successfully with little or no attention (except for replenishing the grease), irrespective of the character of the flanges on the wheels passing over the rails and irrespective of the character of the rails. Another object is improved means in a device of the character described for positioning the device on rails, and a still further object of the invention is provision of improved means for attaching the device to rails of various heights and widths without additional apparatus or attachments. Other objects and advantages will appear in the specification and claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevational view of my device on a rail, partly broken away and in section, and with the rail in section.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the device of Fig. l.

Briefly described, the lubricator herein disclosed is provided with a grease reservoir and a nozzle in which the nozzle is positioned adjacent the wheel flange side of a rail for ejecting grease on said side. The reservoir and nozzle are supported as a unit on springs, which springs in turn are supported on brackets secured to the rail. The ejection of the grease in the reservoir is accomplished upon vibration of the reservoir when a car moves over the rail to which the reservoir is connected at a point over or near the reservoir or during the passage of the wheels of such car past the reservoir.

In general, devices of the above character are old, as is shown in the aforesaid patent, but such devices, unless the rails or wheel flanges are in good condition, and not worn to any appreciable degree, are frequently rendered inoperable for accomplishing the intended results by reason-of the ejection nozzle being forced out of the position where it will lubricate the flange side of the rail head, and subsequent ejections of the lubricant will be wasted. One of the principal features of this invention is an arrangement whereby the ejection nozzle will always return to proper rail lubricating position irrespective of the worn condition of the rails and wheel flanges.

In the United States and elsewhere many different height rails and rails of different widths are used, and heretofore no simple, effective means, insofar as I am aware, has made provision for quickly adapting a rail and flange lubricating unit of the character herein described to any such rails, without using brushings or attachments, or other means. This objection is also overcome by my invention.

In detail, I provide a pair of horizontally extending brackets in the form of plates I, adapted to extend below the rail 2 at spaced points and in direction substantially perpendicular to said rail. One of the ends 3 of each of said plates projects outwardly from one of the flanges 4, forming one side of the rail foot, and the opposite ends 5 of the plates project outwardly from the opposite flange 6 of the rail foot. In the drawings the flange 6 is at the wheel-flange side of the rail.

Above end 3 of each plate or bracket I, is a clamp in the form of a strip of metal having one end portion I thereof against end 3 of the bracket, and the opposite end portion 8 of said clamp extends angularly upwardly and over flange 4. This portion 8 is spaced from said flange and carries an adjusting bolt 9 threadedly extending therethrough. The headed end of said bolt is outwardly of the side of the clamp that faces bracket I, and the opposite end is positioned to engage against the rail at the juncture between flange 4 and the web I0 of said rail. The end portion I is bolted securely to end 3 of the bracket I by bolts I I that extend through openings in the portion I and slot I2 in end 3, thus upon loosening bolts I I the clamp may be moved toward or away from the rail to insure engagement of bolt 9 at the juncture between flange 4 and web It irrespective of how wide or narrow the flanges forming the foot of the rail may be. A lock nut I3 on bolt 9 insures locking the bolt 9 in position engaging the rail at the aforesaid juncture.

The end portion 5 of the bracket carries a stop lug I4 adapted to engage the edge of flange 6 when the bracket is clamped to the rail.

The portion 5 of each bracket I terminates at its outer end in a vertically extending portion I5 formed with a serrated or grooved face I5 on its side facing outwardly of the rail. Secured against said face It of each portion I5 is a similarly serrated or grooved surface II of a vertical leg I8 of a right angle supporting member, the other leg I9 of said member extending horizontally outwardly (relative to the rail) from the upper end of leg It. The serrated sides of the portion I5 and leg I8 are firmly clamped together by a bolt 23 extending through an opening in leg l8 and a vertical slot 2| in portion l5. Thus each of the right angle members comprising legs l3, l9 may be rigidly secured to portions l5, respectively, in any desired degree of elevation within the limits of the ends of slots 2i.

Secured to the upper side of each leg I9 is one side or arm 22 of a fiat U-spring disposed on its side with its open end facing the rail. A bolt 23 firmly secures arm 22 to said leg IS. The opposite upper arm 24 of each of the springs is secured by bolt 25 to a bracket 23. There is a pair of these brackets 26, one on each spring,- and said brackets are secured by welding, or by any other suitable means, to opposite sides of the uppermost open end of a cylindrical reservoir or pot 21 adapted to contain the lubricant'for the rails. The pot 21 has a cover 28 adapted to be removably secured over the upper open end of the pot by a, pin 29, such as a cotter pin, that extends through a lug 30 formed at each of two opposite edges of said pot cover and which pin also extends through openings in spaced ears 3| that are formed on said bracket 26, said ears being at each of the two opposite sides of the cover adapted to receive the lugs 30 therebetween.

It is highly important to note, as will be later explained, that the U-springs at the opposite sides of the pot are positioned adjacent the upper end of said pot, and that the upper leaf 24 of said spring is substantially level with the head 32 of the rail.

The pot itself is adapted to be filled with a lubricant 33 on top of which is adapted to be positioned a weighted disk or piston 34. Reaching between said piston and the cover 28 is an expansion coil spring 35.

A conduit or spout 36 extends from the lower end of said pot upwardly toward said rail head 32. The bore of said spout opens at one end into the pot through the side of the latter adjacent the bottom of the pot, and from said end the spout is of increasing width as it extends toward the rail head 32, terminating at the lower corner of said head on the wheel flange side thereof, in a horizontally elongated aperture extending longitudinally of the rail head.

A portion 31 of the outer end of said spout along the side of said aperture that is adjacent the rail, is firmly seated below the rail head and is yieldably held thereagainst by the U-springs supporting the pot 21. At the ends of said aperture the sides of the conduit 36 are formed with upwardly extending projections 38 that extend slightly upwardly from the lower corner of said head and against the wheelflange side of the rail. The inner side of the aperture in said spout, the side adjacent the rail head, terminates substantially flush with the wheel flange side of said rail head, while the opposite side of the aperture comprises a horizontally elongated spring metal, relatively thin blade 39. preferably slightly feathered along its upper and horizontally elongated edge, and which edge ter minates about half way between the top of the rail head and the lower side thereof, or slightly higher. The lower'edge of said blade is secured against the inner side of the horizontally elongated outer side 40 of the spout, or the, side of said spout outwardly of the rail. Bolts 4| secure said lower edge to said spout, and normally the blade itself (when the spout is in position, but before adjustment of the blade) is appreciably spaced at its upper edge from the wheel flange side of the rail. A row of bolts 42 extending through openings in one leg of an angle strip 43 are secured to the outer side of blade 39 for moving the upper edge of the blade toward the wheel flange side of the rail head. The strip 43 is secured to the upper end of spout 36, as by welding or other suitable means, and the bolts 42 are held in place by nuts M on each of the bolts at opposite sides of the strip. Thus any degree of adjustment of the blade relative to the rail head may be obtained at any point along the rail by adjusting the nuts M on the bolts 43. Variable curves of the rail longitudinally thereof may thus be readily followed by the blade.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the lubricant passing over the longitudinal edge of portion 31 of the spout will pass over the wheelfiange side of the rail and will be ejected upwardly along the said side from upper edge of blade 39. The lubricant so ejected will be caught by the flanges of the car wheels close to the juncture between said flanges and the treads and will be distributed along the rails at the desired point, thus reducing the wear on the rails and flanges, particularly at curves.

In operation as the car wheels pass by the points where the lubricator is positioned the vibration of the rail will be transmitted to the pot and this vibration of the pot will cause the lubricant to be ejected from the spout against the wheel-flange side of the rail.

The importance of the positioning of the pot supporting springs is essential to the satisfactory operation of the device since as the pot is vibrated or in the event the wheel flange should engage the blade 39, the ejection end of the spout will be depressed. When this occurs,-it is absolutely essential that the spout automatically return to a position with the part 31 of the spout snugly seated against the lower side of the rail head and that the lower corner of the rail head be snugly seated in the angle formed between the projections 38 and said part 31. Should the spout fail to return to said position as by catching of the blade or portions 38 below the rail head, then the lubricant will merely be ejected so as to flow out over the rail flange 5 or the ground, and none ofit will reach the wheel flange side of the rail. This objection to prior devices of'the general character of this invention, has been overcome by the positioning of the upper leaf 24 of the U-spring at substantially the level of the rail head with the pot extending downwardly between said springs, whereby the pivoting of the pot as it vibrates, or as the spout is pushed downwardly, will cause the ejection end of the spout to swing downwardly and away from the rail head rather than swinging in an arc to below the rail head.

The positioning of the springs at the upper end of the pot rather than raising the entire pot is necessary since the level of the top of the pot must not be appreciably'higher than the upper or tread surface of the rail head. A protective ramp (not shown) generally extends over the pot to prevent injury to the pot from any depending portion of the cars that pass thereover, and if the pot were raised to above the level of the rails any appreciable distance, it is obvious that the device would be impractical. By means of the bolts 20, the pot can readily be raised or lowered to bring the upper leaf of the spring in a position so spout will fulcrum about a point substantially at the level of the rail head, and thus prevent any possible jamming of the nozzle against returning to its operative position.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a rail and wheel flange lubricator that includes a rail and a container for a lubricant spaced from said rail and which container has a spout extending laterally therefrom formed with a discharge opening at its end remote from the container for discharging the lubricant therefrom, spring means mounting and pivoting said spout and container as a unit for movement about a point positioned substantially at the level of the head of said rail, rigid means connecting said spring means with said rail and supporting said spout in a position with the discharge end thereof in engagement with the wheel flange side of said head and with the discharge opening in a position to discharge lubricant against the laterally facing wheel flange side of said rail, said last mentioned means supporting said spout in a position to be substantially out of engagement with the flange of a normal car wheel passing over said rail, and discharge of said lubricant being solely dependent upon vibration transmitted from said rail to said container.

2. In a rail and wheel flange lubricator that includes a rail, a container for a lubricant having a discharge spout rigid therewith and extending laterally from a side thereof, said discharge spout being formed with a discharge opening at its end remote from said container, yieldable spring means supporting said container in a position spaced from a rail with the discharge end of said spout against the wheel flange side of said rail below the level of the tread of the said rail and substan tially out of engagement with the flange of a normal car wheel passing over said rail and with said discharge opening positioned to discharge lubricant against the laterally facing side of the i wheel flange side of the rail head, rigid means connecting said spring means with said rail, said spring means being arranged and adapted to form a pivotal support for said container and spout with the pivotal point substantially at the level of the rail head whereby the discharge end of said spout will be caused to swing in an arcuate direction generally away from the rail head upon being forced downwardly from said head against the resistance of said yieldable means by vibration transmitted from said rail to said container and spout.

3. In combination with a rail, a container for a lubricant spaced from said rail, a discharge spout on said container extending laterally there-- from toward said rail, but positioned to be substantially out of engagement with the flange of a normal car wheel passing over said rail, means supporting said container from said rail for downward movement of the spout from a point positioned substantially at the level of the rail head and appreciably above the level of the foot of said rail and restricting said movement of the spout in a direction away from said rail, said means including a bracket arm secured to said rail and extending laterally therefrom and a spring supporting said container on said arm at the end thereof remote from said rail, and said movement being caused by vibration transmitted from said rail to said container and spout.

4. In combination with a rail, 2. container for a lubricant spaced from said rail, a discharge spout on said container extending laterally therefrom toward said rail, a bracket secured to said rail and having an arm extending laterally therefrom, a spring supporting said container on said arm yieldably holding the discharge end of the spout against the lower side of the wheel flange side of the rail head, said container supported on said spring for pivotal movement of said discharge end about said spring, said movement being caused by vibration transmitted from said rail to said container and spout, said discharge end being formed with a discharge opening, means adjacent said opening extending over a portion of the lateral side of said wheelflange side of the head of the rail arranged and adapted to direct lubricant discharged from said opening against said lateral side, said means being positioned to be substantially out of engagement with the flange of a normal car wheel passing over said rail, means for raising and lowering said spring and container relative to said rail and means for securing said spring in adjusted raised or lowered position.

5. In a construction as defined in claim 4, means for releasably clamping said bracket to said rail, said means including a screw carried by said bracket and engaging said rail at the juncture between the web and foot of the latter.

6. In a combination with a rail, a bracket mounted on said rail, a horizontal arm, means adjustably securing said arm to said bracket, a U-shaped spring disposed on its side with its legs in a vertical plane having its lower leg secured to said arm, a container for a lubricant supported by the upper leg of said spring, a spout on said container rigid therewith extending laterally therefrom toward said rail but positioned to be substantially out of engagement with the flange of a normal car wheel passing over said rail, said spring supporting said spout for vertical swinging about an axis adjacent the juncture of the legs of said spring and down and away from the head of said rail upon vibration being transmitted from said rail to said container and spout by a car wheel passing over said rail, and said spring and the top of said container being supported at substantially the level of the head of said rail but no higher than the level of the top of said rail head.

'7. In combination with a rail, a container for holding a lubricant, a spout on said container extending laterally therefrom and toward the wheel-flange side of said rail and positioned to be substantially out of engagement with the flange of a normal car wheel passing over said rail, a U-shaped spring positioned on its side with its legs in a vertical plane, rigid means connecting said rail with the lower leg of said spring and supporting said spring, said container and said spout being mounted on the upper leg of said spring for swinging movement of said container and spout by vibration transmitted from said rail to said container and spout when a car wheel passes over said rail, said bracket and spring supporting the upper end of said container and said spout at about the level of the head of said rail, the juncture between the legs of said spring being adjacent the upper portion of said container whereby flexing of the spring adjacent said juncture will cause swinging movement of said container and spout about a point in said spring at substantially the level of the head of said rail.

8. A lubricator for a rail comprising a rail, a vertically disposed container for a lubricant having a spout rigid therewith and extending laterally from the lower end of the container to a point near the level of the top of said container, the outer end of said spout being formed with a discharge nozzle, means for supporting said container in a position on said rail with its discharge opening adjacent and directed toward the wheel flange side of said rail, said means including a U-shaped spring at opposite sides of said container each disposed on its sides with its legs in a vertical plane, means securing the container to the upper legs of the springs whereby vibrations transmitted to the container from said rail through said legs will cause flexing of the portions of the springs connecting between one of the ends of the legs and consequent swinging of the container and 10' spout. about said portions, said portions being dis- OLIVER REECE. 

